2024 Rankings: Players To Keep An Eye On This Year

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">The first 2024 rankings of the '23-'24 season have been released, and here are a few players to keep your eyes on…</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2258302' first='De'Andre' last='Harris']&nbsp;</strong>(6'1/CG/Opelika HS)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">IG: _djharris</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">X/Twitter: @harrisdj10</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">DJ is a solid lead guard who will bring a lot of maturity to the Opelika squad this year. He will carry the responsibility of getting the team into their offense and making sure they get quality possessions. He is a very good facilitator who values the ball on each trip to the offensive end of the floor. He does a good job getting to the rack off the dribble drive game, and he makes good decisions with the rock when he is in the paint. Defensively, he is a lockdown defender who doesn't mind picking up his man full-court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2257730' first='Nick' last='Richardson']</strong>&nbsp;(5'11/PG/Spain Park HS)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">IG: nick.rich</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">X/Twitter: @nickkk.rich</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Nick has developed into a proven lead guard who is trustworthy at the position. He does a good job orchestrating and keeping his squad in rhythm. He will need to be more aggressive in looking for his shots this year as his scoring will be needed, so look for him to balance scoring and facilitating. There are a lot of expectations surrounding Nick this year, but he should be up to the challenge.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1392688' first='John' last='Carwie']&nbsp;</strong>(5'10/SG/Mountain Brook HS)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">IG: iohncarwie</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">John fits into the Mountain Brook system extremely well because he is fearless, plays very hard, and can knock down the trey ball. He does a lot of the intangibles for the Spartans that contribute to winning but are not seen on the stat sheet. John is able to be a secondary ball-handler and playmaker off the bounce and will play a huge role in the Spartans' success this year.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2257734' first='Cody' last='Vance']</strong>&nbsp;(5'10/G/Gardendale)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Cody is a fierce competitor who plays with great energy and effort. He is at his best when he is out disrupting offenses on defense, making energy plays in the open court, and momentum-changing baskets on the offensive end of the floor. He is an experienced backcourt presence and will be the glue for the Rockets this year.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2257722' first='Bradley' last='Pearson']</strong>&nbsp;(6'0/SG/Auburn HS) </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">IG: Bradley_bdog</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">X/Twitter: @BradleyBdog_0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Bradley is a gifted scorer who can get it done at all 3-levels. He has really good accuracy from deep but is at his best when he is attacking off the bounce. He is very difficult to contain one-on-one and keeps defenders on their heels. He has an excellent feel for the game and will be looked upon to be a stabilizing force on the court at all times.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1574463' first='Rylan' last='Smothers']</strong>&nbsp;(6'4|F/C|Hartselle)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">IG: Rylan_smothers_2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">X/Twitter: @Smothersrylan</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size">Rylan has good positional size, is very skilled with the rock in his hands, and has a lot of versatility on both ends of the floor. He is a lengthy playmaker who does a good job creating his own shot as well as opportunities for others. He rebounds at a high rate and does a good job getting his team out in transition off the defensive board. His all-around skill set will be needed for Hartselle to make some noise down the stretch.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->